Kiwi hope Matt Payne has gone some way towards burying the disappointment of a day spoiled by rain, grabbing pole position for Supercars Race Eight at the Taupō 400.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Payne had qualified provisionally fastest for the Race Seven shootout, but torrential rain midway through the time-trial format meant he was never able to generate enough speed to compete for pole, finishing eighth.
Buried on the grid, he was squeezed off the track at turn one, and never really recovered, ultimately finishing 13th.
On Sunday, with the worst of the rain past, he qualified fourth and drove faultlessly on his solo lap, edging Broc Feeney by 0.126s for inside running later in the afternoon.
The result is Payne's second pole of the 2024 campaign - the other came at Melbourne - but first from the shootout format.
"Margins are so close, what a way to start a Sunday," he said. "We executed in qualifying... we executed yesterday in qualifying, just didn't quite have the luck on our side, but today, we definitely have the luck and it's really good so far.
"It's amazing, even on the in-lap for the shootout lap there, I just saw fans along the whole fence, everyone clapping... it's unbelievable.
"I've never experienced something like it and it's something that means a lot to me, for all the fans, wearing our merchandise, supporting me and the team - it's crazy. I never thought something like this would happen in my life.
"Some things you dream of... we've just got to execute this afternoon and get that race win."
Defending Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki recorded the third-fastest time, as he makes up for lost ground, after missing the opening rounds at Bathurst and Melbourne, while championship leader Will Brown secured fifth on the grid.
Young Ryan Wood, 20, was the only other Kiwi in the top 10, with Saturday race winner Andre Heimgartner missing the shootout in 11th.
